Friendship and Love Run Deep
by Black Tribal
Summary: "Why did you talk me into this Nina?" "Quit being such a baby." "But I'm sharing a home with you and 4 other girls!" Follow Zane, A Zoroark Pokemorph, as he goes from being a philosophical Zorua to an easily embarrassed and shy University student.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is my first story and I'm hoping that I do well enough to continue it. This story will probably have some inconsistencies, but that will only be because I was in a rush trying to write it. This story also uses Pokemorphs. Enjoy!**

"speech"

_'thoughts'_

_**Disclaimer**__**:**_ I don't own Pokemon. If I did, I'd be swimming in a pool filled with money right now.

A young Zorua stood in the backyard of a large, mansion-like home, his eyes watching the clouds go by, trying to pick out familiar shapes. _'I wish I could be as free as those clouds; nothing to hold me back, nothing to stop me from being whatever I want to be.'_

"Something on your mind Zane?" The Zorua, named Zane, turned around and saw a tall Summer Sawsbuck wearing a tan and brown flannel shirt and worn blue jeans with a pair of dirty work boots standing behind him. "No Uncle Sawyer, I'm fine." Sawyer eyed the little 8 year old fox in front of him. "I know there is something on your mind young one. You may be the Tricky Fox Pokemon, but you can't trick me, I've known you your entire life." Zane couldn't help but chuckle. "Guess I need to work on my Illusions a little more, huh?" They both broke into laughter, with the little gray fox falling to the ground, clutching his sides.

The Sawsbuck managed to calm down enough first and watched the Zorua lying on the ground, laughing to his heart's content. _'I can't believe this little elementary student has matured so fast, he's only 8 and yet he thinks like a 15 year old. How can someone like be so philosophical and friendly, but still make enemies?'_

"Heloooo? Uncle Sawyer? Are you still there?" Sawyer was snapped out of his thoughts as a little red hand was waved in front of his face with a worried looking Zane standing a foot away from him. _'Wow. His stealth is improving.'_ "It's nothing. Now what were you thinking so hard about?"

Zane turned around and looked back up at the sky, and spoke with low tone,"Have you ever tried to be the neutral guy; tried to be the person who wouldn't take either side ,or would try to take both sides, but wound up being labeled an outcast?" Sawyer's small grin turned into a deep frown. "Did something happen at school?" he asked with a worried tone.

Zane turned around and looked back at the Sawsbuck.

His calm appearance quickly shattered and disappeared, his mouth started trembling and revealed sharp, gritted teeth. His sky blue eyes started to overflow with hot, fresh tears and his expression took on one of extreme sadness and hurt. He ran to the Sawsbuck and wrapped his arms around Sawyer's legs in a strong embrace and started sobbing heavily into his blue jeans. Sawyer looked down at the Zorua with a shocked expression, but quickly recovered and picked Zane up and pulled him into a comforting hug.

"Shh...shh...it's okay, let it all out." Sawyer whispered into Zane's ear as the Zorua cried into his chest. As Sawyer held the young, crying fox, he started to think. _'Something serious must of happened in order to cause his mood to suddenly change like that.' _

He looked back down at Zane and started to look him over for any signs of the reason for his rapid mood change. Sawyer then noticed that Zane had some small bruises under his gray and bright red hair and a small cut on his right arm that would've normally been concealed underneath the sleeve of his black, short-sleeved shirt. He also noticed two small tears on Zane's dark blue jeans that were parallel to each other.

He was shocked that Zane was injured, but he waited until the black and gray fox calmed down. After about 15 minutes had passed, Sawyer noticed that Zane's sobs had ceased and when he pulled the Zorua away from him slightly so he could see Zane's face, he saw that the fox's eyes were closed and his breathing was calm and steady, save for a small hiccup every now and then. "He cried himself to sleep." the Sawsbuck said softly to himself.

Sawyer turned around and gently walked back to his large home with Zane still being held in the Sawsbuck's arms. A gentle sunset castes it's orange and red glow on the peaceful forest around the Sawsbuck's home.

-x-x-x-x-

"Hmm..." Zane groggily opened his eyes and gave out a small yawn. He looked around in the room he was in. The room had walls covered with dark brown paint with paintings of what looks like sunsets and the forest behind the large home. There was an average sized fireplace with a fire already lit in it. On the wall in front of him, there was a large flatscreen TV hanging above the fireplace. There were two large couches set next to each other, also a dark brown color.

_'Why am I in the living room?' _The room was dark, the only light source being the soft glow from the fire._ 'Its already nighttime.' _Zane looked down and saw that he was in a large, plush chair that was currently reclined and he noticed that he was covered in a large quilt.

"Its good to see that you're awake, Zane." said a calm voice. Zane turned towards his left and looked up at the doorway and saw the Sawsbuck standing there. "How long was I asleep?" "About 2 hours. I took the time to look over you bruises and bandaged the cut on your arm."

Zane looked at his arm and saw that it was covered in a thin layer of gauze. Sawyer walked over and sat at the edge of the couch closest to the chair. Zane looked back at the Sawsbuck. "Thank you." "No problem. Now, care to enlighten me on how you got those injuries?"

Zane broke eye contact and looked away from Sawyer, a sad expression appearing o n his face. Sawyer gave a deep, irritated sigh, "Zane, before your parents passed away, they told me that I was the only one they could trust with your protection, the only one that could raise you properly. I can't help you with your problem if you don't tell me what it is."

Zane looked back up Sawyer, then looked back down. "Blade." It was so quiet that the Sawsbuck almost didn't hear it, but he did. Sawyer's expression then turned into a curious one. "You mean the Zangoose that goes to your school?" Zane nodded. Sawyer's expression then turned to a solemn one.

"He attacked you, didn't he?" Zane nodded again, still not looking towards the Sawsbuck, but if he had, he would've seen the anger radiating from Sawyer's eyes.

_'No! I can't let my anger get the best of me.'_ Sawyer took deep breaths to calm himself down. "He also took my bandana from me." The Sawsbuck looked back up at the Zorua. He saw Zane rubbing his neck lightly and noticed that Zane's favorite bandana wasn't tied around his neck like it normally was.

Zane's bandana was the only thing he had left of the memory of his parents, so it carried a lot of emotional and personal value to him. It was solid black, so it blended in with the black fur around his neck, and it had a silver Xi symbol on it.

Zane didn't even need to look up at his uncle's face to know that their was pure hate radiating from him, because since he was a Dark type, he could sense bad aura from the people around him. Zane slowly looked back up at the angry Sawsbuck. "I know your angry at Blade for doing all of this, but I have to fight my own battles, so please calm down, Uncle Sawyer." Sawyer looked into Zane's eyes, and saw the determination that was building up inside the Zorua's heart.

The innocent face of his brother's son caused the flames of hate and anger in his soul to instantly extinguish. A soft smile on the Sawsbuck's face, then he gave a soft chuckle. "What's so funny?" Sawyer got up from the couch and walked over to the confused Zorua's side. "You are just like your father when he was your age. He was always the rational minded one while I was always the short-tempered one. He would always talk himself out of a fight while I just used my fists to settle my disputes."

Sawyer kneeled down and placed his hand on Zane's shoulder. "You're right Zane, it is _your_ battle that _you_ have to fight, and I am confident that you will succeed." Sawyer stood up and started to walk towards the door.

"Uncle Sawyer?" The Sawsbuck stopped at the doorway and turned around. "Yeah Zane?" The Zorua pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Are you telling me I should fight him for my bandana." The soft smile on the Sawsbuck's face only grew. "I'm telling you to choose what _you _think you should do." Zane gave a small grin, now understanding what his uncle was saying. "And I _will_ choose what to do, and it _will _be the _right _one." Sawyer chuckled softly. "I know Zane, I know."

Zane laid back down. "Goodnight Uncle Sawyer."

"Goodnight Zane."

_**to be continued**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I forgot to mention in the first chapter that the first parts of this story are going to take place over Zane's school years. This chapter will take place in Elementary School, then the next chapter will be in Middle School. Then it will be High School after that. We'll get to the University years in a few chapters, just have patience.**

"speech"

_'thoughts'_

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Pokemon, just my OC's

In an average sized elementary school, Zane was currently trying to sort his thoughts. _'I hope my plan works.' _It was currently recess at the school, and the black and gray fox was heading towards Blade's location at the end of the playground.

The Zorua found the Zangoose standing at the edge of the playground talking to a Charmander and a Rattata. When Zane was within earshot of the trio, he could hear Blade bragging about the Zorua's bandana, which he currently had wrapped around his head.

Zane was very upset about Blade wearing his bandana._ 'No one wear's my bandana but me!' _"Hey Blade!" The Zangoose turned around, then smirked. "Well if it isn't the little gray weakling. Are you gonna try to use words to get back what is now _my _property."

Zane felt his temper flare, but calmed himself down. "If that's what it takes to get through your oversized ego and empty head." Blade let out a feral growl and took a step forward. "What did you say you little weakling." Zane scoffed. "You already used that one. What, is your small brain keeping you from coming up with a better insult."

The angry Zangoose stepped forward until he was right in front of Zane. "I'll make you regret that ."

Blade then swung his right arm at Zane and knocked him to the ground. Zane stood back up and spat out a little blood that was in his mouth. "Is that all you got?" Blade ran forward and delivered a Scratch attack to the Zorua's face, leaving two parallel red scratch marks across his right eye.

Zane just stood back up and laughed mockingly at Blade. "I thought you could do better than that. I guess your weaker than you let on." Blade narrowed his eyes, but then smirked darkly. He ran forward with his two black claws glowing and gave a three powerful slashes at Zane's torso.

Zane grunted in pain at each slash, then was tossed back a good distance away and landed on the ground. Zane then realized that he couldn't move. _'Crud, what attack did he use? I've never seen a Scratch attack where the claws glow a faint green.' _"I bet your wondering what type of attack I used."

Zane, gaining a bit of movement left, looked at the Zangoose. " I learned a move called Fury Cutter, and since you are a Dark type, the Bug type move was super effective. The attack also gets stronger with each successful impact." Zane looked at Blade with widened eyes, but then he started to panic when he saw the Zangoose take the bandana off his head.

"Now, lets see if this stupid bandana is strong enough to survive with _me _as it's owner." Blade stuck a claw out and started to drag it roughly across the bandana. "No! That bandana is all I have left of my parents!"

Blade then threw the bandana onto the ground and started to grind it into the dirt with his foot. "Does it look I care?" Zane felt tears welling up in his eyes. He started to struggle to get his body to move. _'Dang it, I still can't move!' _

Blade picked the bandana back up and his claws started to glow. "Well, I'm bored with it now. Guess it's time to dispose of this worthless piece of cloth." Zane was still struggling to get his body to move, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, which were started to glow eerily red. "If you do anything to my bandana, I swear from the Hall of Origins to the Underworld that you will regret it for the rest of your life!" The Zorua threatened, his anger reaching it's peak.

The Zangoose's evil smirk only grew. "Big talk from someone who is so weak and helpless right now." He swiped his claws. Time seemed to slow down as the Zorua watched with wide eyes, the red glow in them seeming to intensify, as the glowing claws cut right through the fabric with an almost sickening tearing sound.

That was it for Zane. The red glow became so intense that both of his eyes were covered entirely by the bright red glow. The Zangoose looked at the remains of the bandana with a triumphant and smug grin on his face. _'I can't believe how satisfying that felt.' _He heard a low growl emit from the paralyzed Zorua and turned his head to look at him, but the grin on his face disappeared.

The gray fox's eye's were glowing bright red and, even though he couldn't see Zane's pupils or irises, had a murderous look in them. He noticed that what looked like black flames were starting to appear on Zane's body, but it didn't look like they were burning him. _'What the heck?' _All of a sudden, a bright glow started to for in the Zorua's mouth. _'What is he doing?' _A powerful beam shot out of Zane's mouth and struck Blade, sending him flying through the air and landing painfully on the ground.

Blade stood back up and glared at Zane, who had passed out because the attack took a lot of energy out of him. "Why did you attack me? I stole that bandana from you fair and square! Am I going to have to beat you into more of a pulp to get the message through to you, you freak of nature!" "What was that, Blade?" The Zangoose turned around and was prepared to attack what he expected to be another student, but instead was met with the angry dark red eyes of a Gardevoir wearing a flowing white dress and an emerald green jacket.

Blade immediately felt fear setting in, because Ms. Grace, besides being the youngest teacher at the school, was the one teacher that he was deathly afraid of. "N-Nothing, M-M-Ms. Gra-ace." Ms. Grace walked over to Zane and pressed her hand on his forehead. "Perhaps you can tell me why Zane is on the ground and beat up, Blade?" Blade swallowed faintly. "I-I don't k-know w-what hap-p-pened." Ms. Grace looked back at the sweating Zangoose with an angry look. "Don't play dumb with me Blade, I saw you tear up his bandana _and _I heard you yell that death threat at him." "No I didn't."

The Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue and Blade felt himself become paralyzed and being lifted off the ground. "I will not tolerate your behavior anymore Mr. Blade. I turned a blind eye to your behavior around the other students for the last month, but even I have my limits. You are to report to the Principle's office _right now._"

Blade felt Ms. Grace's Psychic wear off and he was gently put on the ground. "A-Alright Ms. Grace." Blade, radiating with fear, ran to the Principle's office, not wanting to provoke the Gardevoir's wrath.

Ms. Grace smirked. _'Nice to know that he still fears me, even if it _is _unethical to use that fear against __him.' _

She then noticed the black remains of Zane's bandana. _'Oh no.' _She reached over and picked up the black rags. _'I can't believe Blade ruined his bandana.' _What no one knew, except for Zane's Uncle Sawyer, was that Zane and Ms. Grace shared a special bond that allowed them to share their memories when they are in physical contact, despite Zane being a Dark typeand Ms. Grace being a Psychic type, which is why she touched his forehead earlier. It was thanks to that special bond that the Embrace Pokemon was able to see that it was Blade who attacked the little gray fox.

Ms. Grace always had a soft spot for Zane and was always there to comfort the Zorua whenever his day at school would start out rough. She sometimes even let Zane seek out comfort in her office, since she doubled as the school's Guidance Councilor.

Her eyes drifted to the remains of his bandana, then her eyes began to glow blue again and the rags started to float in the air, covered in a faint blue aura. The torn fibers began to fuze back together, the pieces starting to form a large recognizable black square with a familiar silver Xi symbol in the middle.

She grabbed the bandana out of the air and tied it around Zane's neck gently, then she gently picked him up and started to carry him to the Nurse's office. Ms. Grace then realized something. _'This is his last year at this school, maybe I should become a Guidance Councilor at the Middle School once he graduates, just so I can keep a better eye on him. I'll have to bring this up with his Uncle Sawyer later tonight. After all, it's not normal to be covered in black flames with glowing scarlet red eyes.'_

She looked down at the unconscious Zorua with a worried look. _'It's also very unusual for such a young Pokemon, a Zorua for that matter, to know how to use Hyper Beam. Zorua's aren't even supposed to know such a powerful move.' _Ms. Grace's expression softened, but there was still worry in her eyes.

_'Dark types carry a lot of hidden powers and potential, so a Hyper Beam probably won't be the last unusual move he'll learn.' _Ms. Grace walked into the Nurse's office. _'I just hope things turn out for the better in the end for him.' _

_**to be continued**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: This chapter will take place in Middle school and so will the next one, which will be the last one in Midlle school. Zane is still a Zorua. Zane won't be a Zoroark until High school.**

"speech"

_'thoughts'_

_**Disclaimer****: **_I don't own Pokemon, just my OC's

The Zorua known as Zane was currently sitting at his desk in the back of the classroom, his right index claw tapping on the wood of the desk lightly as he stared blankly at the Meganium, named Mrs. Planter, that was teaching the class he was in about Pokemon History.

It was all a blur to Zane though, because he was still remembering the incident that had happened with Blade a year back at his old Elementary School. The talk that Ms. Grace had with both him and his Uncle Sawyer was still fresh in his mind, even though it happened almost a year ago.

_**(Flashback, night of the incident )**_

Zane and his Uncle Sawyer were waiting patiently for Ms. Grace to arrive at their home. Sawyer was sitting in his favorite recliner in the living room and watching TV with Zane, who was sitting on the couch closest to him. His eyes drifted to the Zorua sitting quietly with his eyes glued to the action movie that was on.

The gray button up shirt he was wearing was opened slightly, revealing the bandages that were wrapped around his torso. Their was also a cloth place over Zane's right eye where Blade's Scratch attack had cut him. _'I am surprised that he can remain so calm, even after getting beat up over the past couple of days and receiving so many injuries. I hope Ms. Grace arrives soon and enlightens me on what happened and tells me this plan of hers.' _

Sawyer then noticed the familiar black bandana around Zane's neck. He smiled gently. _'At least he got his bandana back.' _The sound of a doorbell rang through the air, snapping the Sawsbuck out of his thoughts. Sawyer got out of his recliner. "I'll get it." Zane nodded, his eyes not even leaving the TV.

Sawyer chuckled lightly and headed to the door. He opened the door, revealing a Gardevoir who was wearing a white dress that was slightly shorter than the one she wore earlier that day and a light green jacket. "Ahh, Ms. Grace. Nice to see you. Would you like to come in?" The Gardevoir smiled. "A gentleman as always Sawyer, and please, call me Ella." "Of course, Ella."

Sawyer took her hand and led her to the living room. Zane hadn't even moved a muscle since the Sawsbuck left him, and it only caused Sawyer's smile to grow. "You'll have to forgive Zane, he _really_ likes action movies, as you can see." Ella smiled. "What child _doesn't _like action movies?" Zane, moving for the first time in since the movie started, turned around and playfully glared at the two adults. "Hey, I resent that."

All three broke out into small laughter. After calming down, Sawyer offered a seat to Ella so that they can finally talk about the fight that happened between Zane and Blade, then discuss her plan. "Sawyer, as you can see, Zane got hurt at school today."

Sawyer frowned. "What happened?" Ella leaned forward slightly and spoke softly. "It was Blade." Sawyer's face took on an angry look. Ella, noticing this, spoke quickly. "I wouldn't worry about him, though. He was suspended for a week for his very unreasonable actions." Sawyer's expression softened. "That's good. I was afraid I was gonna have to take matters into my own hands." "But like you said to me, Uncle Sawyer, I have to fight my own battles."

The Sawsbuck looked at Zane and smiled. "Yeah, and it appears you that not only did you win, but you also got your prize back." Sawyer and Zane looked back at the Gardevoir, who continued with what happened. "You see, Sawyer, Zane walked over to Blade and tried to get his bandana back by using his words, but Blade instead attacked Zane with a Scratch attack, but Zane just got back on and only egged him on by insulting his strength, which caused Blade to use a recently learned attack called Fury Cutter, giving him an advantage over Zane."

"After hitting Zane three consecutive times, the last one paralyzing him, he then started trashing Zane's bandana until he decided to try to break Zane by cutting it to shreds. Meanwhile, Zane's eyes began to glow a scarlet red and what appeared to be black flames started to flicker on his body. Zane then shot a powerful Hyper Beam at Blade, launching him a pretty good distance away before finally passing out from using too much energy."

"That was when I had arrived at the site in time to hear Blade confess to everything, since he was currently yelling out everything in a long rant. After sending him to the Principle's office, I fixed Zane's bandana, read his memories to see what all happened, then carried him to the Nurse's office, where he got all fixed up."

Sawyer listened to the entire story and was surprised at what happened. He then looked at Zane. "Do you remember anything that happened after he tore you bandana Zane?"

Zane's gained a thinking expression. "All I remember was loosing my temper and then seeing everything in my view getting really bright, like someone brightened the lights in a room or something. My senses became much more stronger and everything sort of..._slowed down_. Then I felt a jolt of energy travel through my body that then began to gather in my mouth, then after a few seconds, I almost..._instinctively_... released the energy from my mouth, forming a Hyper Beam."

Sawyer and Ella looked at him with shocked expressions. Sawyer spoke up first. "Zane, I think you had just learned the move Detect along with Hyper Beam." Zane's expression also turned to a shocked one, but then he became excited. "Cool! I just learned two powerful moves in only one day."

Ella then smiled. "Always looking on the bright side." The mood lightened up a little. Sawyer then spoke up. "So, Ella. What is this plan of yours." The Gardevoir then spoke in a buisness like tone. "I think it would be best if I became a Guidance Councilor at the Middle school so that I can keep an eye on Zane."

Said black and gray fox only gave her a questioning look. "Why?" Ella looked at Zane "It is obvious that you carry a lot of hidden power and you don't know how to control it. I want to keep an eye on you because I'm afraid of what would happen if someone got you really angry and wound up on the receiving end of your wrath."

Zane had a shocked expression on his face, but then it turned into one of deep thought. _'Even though she is making it sound as though I'm an insane lunatic with a temper problem, she's right, I don't know __what kind of power I have hidden inside me.' _

He looked back up at the Gardevoir. "Ms. Grace, I am willing to accept your help, if it's alright with Uncle Sawyer." The Sawsbuck looked at Zane and gave a soft grin. "Of course, Zane." Ella grinned big. "Alright, its decided. I'll watch over Zane when he is in Middle school and see if he'll need any help up until his High school years."

_**(End of Flashback)**_

The school bell rang, snapping Zane out of his deep thoughts about that night. Quickly writing the assignment that was on the board into his notebook, he stepped out of the classroom and walked to his locker. _'So far everything is working out great, maybe this _was_ a smart idea.' _

He opened his locker and started putting thing away, getting ready to leave since that was his last class for the day. His gaze landed on a photograph of his Uncle Sawyer. Zane ran the blood red claws on his right hand gently over the photograph. _'I only hope that I can learn to control my hidden power before I hurt the ones I love.' _He closed his locker and walked towards the exit. _'I just hope I learn control before it's too late.'_

_**to be continued**_

(Remember to Read and Review)


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: This is the chapter where I finally introduce Zane's future friends.**

"speech"

_'thoughts'_

_**Disclaimer****: **_I don't own Pokemon, just my OC's

"GET BACK HERE YOU DAMN COWARD!" Zane looked back at the very familiar and very angry Zangoose. "NO WAY IN HELL AM I STOPPING FOR THE LIKES OF YOU!" This was quite a scene for the other students that were wandering the halls during lunch. Everyone was enjoying a nice, quiet lunch until a gray and black blur was seen being chased by a red and white blur.

Zane quickly turned to his left to run down an almost empty hall. _'Good thing this school is so large. I got more places to run.' _He turned his head while running just in time to see Blade make the same turn he made. A jolt of pain in his leg tells the Zorua that all that running is finally taking its toll. _'I don't want to fight him, but if I can just get out of his line of sight, I can use my Illusion ability.' _Zane made another left, then a right, only to run into a crowded hall. _'Perfect.' _

Blade lost sight of Zane when he made the left then right turn, but he knew which way he went by following his scent. The Zangoose soon found himself caught in a crowded hall. _'Damn, I lost his scent.' _He turned his light red eyes to scan the crowded halls and noticed that at the end of the hall, there were three small groups of students.

The group to the far left had a Furret, Bayleef, and a Sneasel, the group behind it had a Teddiursa, Plusle, and a Minun, and the group to the right had a Zigzagoon, Marshstomp, Monferno, and a Glameow. Deciding to try his luck with the group that had the most in it, he shoved his way through the thick crowd until he was within sight of the group. He then walked up to them. "I'm looking for a Zorua named Zane, have any of you seen him?" The Zigzagoon pointed towards the Teddiursa's group. "I think I saw him turn into that Plusle over there." Blade eyed the Zigzagoon suspiciously. "Thanks." He said cautiously. The Zangoose walked over to the Plusle. "I'm looking for a Zorua that came through here. Did you see him?" The Plusle shook it's head. "No, I've too busy chattin' with my brother Mark." The Minun waved in a greeting matter. Blade looked at the Teddiursa. "Alright, have you seen anything?" The Teddiursa looked at the Zangoose. "No, but the Sneasle at that clique over there keeps looking over here. Maybe you should check with them."

Blade quickly walked over to the Furret's group. The Zangoose walked right up to the Sneasle "What's your name?" The Sneasle looked at Blade nervously. "It's Sandy." Blade looked at her suspiciously. "Why did you keep looking at that Teddiursa's group?" Sandy blushed a bit and mumbled softly, "Cause I think the Minun over there looks cute." Blade facepalmed.

He then just sighed irritably and then shouted, "I've had it! I ain't playin' this cat and mouse game anymore! I'm out of here!" The Zangoose then just walked around the corner with an irritated look on his face. The three groups turned their heads and watched him leave. When he was out of sight, they didn't turn back towards each other to continue their conversations.

Suddenly, their eyes narrowed and the corners of their mouths curved upwards and their lips parted to reveal pearly white teeth. All of the Pokemon in the three groups stood there with their eyes narrowed and very mischievous smiles plastered on their faces. They all let out mischievous giggles and started to fade away, leaving a lone Plusle standing in the now empty hallway.

The Plusle turned a purplish color, jumped into the air, then transformed into a familiar black and gray fox that still had a mischievous, toothy smile. Zane let out another giggle that was trademark of a Zorua. He walked towards the entrance of the hall and made a right, then a left. _'I can't believe he fell for that! My Illusions are getting better.' _"Found You!" A familiar voice rang in his ears. Zane then felt the paralyzing impact of a Disable strike him in the back of the head, effectively paralyzing him and slamming him into the lockers.

The Zorua slid down the lockers and fell into a sitting position. Zane looked up, with difficulty, at the Zangoose standing over him. Zane spoke, trying to hide the fear in his voice. "I thought I lost you in the halls." Blade gave a smug smirk. "You did, but once the hall cleared and you stopped using your Illusion, I picked up your scent again. Now that I've found you, I can repay you for the trouble you've caused. Too bad Ms. Grace isn't here to save you this time."

Blade raised his claws and delivered seven Fury Cutters to Zane's head and chest. Zane was starting to panic, he couldn't move and no one was in the hallway to help or protect him.

The halls echoed with the pained grunts of Zane and the smug laughter of Blade. No one was around to hear the sounds of Fury Cutters impacting the Zorua's body, cutting him up and bruising him. Zane felt sadness set in. _'I'm all alone. I'm at this sick person's mercy.'_

Blade stopped for a moment to admire his work. The Zorua lying on the ground was covered in cuts and bruises. His gray shirt was torn open to reveal large, bloody gashes. Blood stained his dark blue jeans, causing the scarlet tribal patterns on his jeans to blend in with the stains. The lacerations around Zane's head were leaking blood into his eyes, which were somewhat swelled shut, which meant that he was temporarily blind and couldn't see anything. Their was also a small puddle of blood pooling underneath him from the dripping gashes on the Zorua's body. The Zangoose raised his glowing right claws. "Now to prove my point that no one, I mean no one, messes with me, you good-for-nothing freak of nature!" The Zangoose swung his claws down at the Zorua. _'I guess this is it. I'm gonna die.' _

"STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" A powerful Ember struck Blade and knocked him away. The Zangoose quickly got back up. "Who the hell did that!" The answer he got was a strong Spark attack and a Water Gun. The combination of the Electric and Water attacks dealt a lot of damage to Blade and the impact tossed him down the hallway and knocked him unconscious.

Zane slumped against the lockers he was leaning against. Even though he couldn't see anything, he heard everything that had happened. He tensed up and whimpered slightly when he felt a hand touch his face. "Don't be afraid, I'm not gonna hurt you." The voice was feminine. It sounded smooth and it calmed Zane down for some reason. Zane tried to lift his head, but he was still paralyzed. The female in front of him apparently noticed his struggle. "Don't try to move too much, you could end up hurting yourself since the Disable is still in effect." He felt two soft and very warm hands place themselves on his cheeks and lift his head up. "Brandon, come here for a second." Zane could hear the shuffling sounds of feet. "See the blood caked around his eyes? It's keeping him from being able to see. I need your help washing it from his eyes." "Alright." The voice was definitely male, and it had a strong sense of..._caring_...laced in it.

The Zorua could hear the sound of rushing water in front of him. He then felt two pairs of wet hands rubbing the dried blood away from his swollen eyes and cleaning the cuts above them. When he felt the obstructing blood in his eyes get completely cleaned away, the warm hands soon disappeared. "That should do it." Zane felt something touch both his shoulders and the warmth from them somehow caused his muscles to relax and he could feel heat radiating from the person in front of him. He then heard the female voice speak again. "Are you alright?"

Zane tried to open his eyes, but the swelling kept him from opening them enough to get a clear picture around him. All he could see was a reddish brown blur in front of him. On the blur's right was something that was black and blue and on the blur's left was a figure that appeared to be mainly orange and tan. Zane, with a bruised throat, only managed a weak and very hoarse "Thank you" before all turned black and he passed out.

_**to be continued**_

(Remember to Read and Review)


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I would like to thank Shinymonkey8 and StarScreacher for their reviews**

"speech"

_'thoughts'_

_**Disclaimer****: **_I don't own Pokemon, just my OC's

Voices. Voices were all that Zane could hear at the moment. They started out low and unintelligble, but they gradually started to get louder and he even started to understand some them. "...in the hall...pooling around him..._Blade_..." That voice sounded familiar and it was definitely female. Another voice started to speak, this one he never heard before. "Couldn't find him...disappeared." Then an older voice spoke. Zane was able to identify it as his uncle. "...be alright...taken worse before." Zane slowly opened his eyes.

Even though everything was blurry, he could still tell that there were people standing over him and that the room he was in was mostly white. The voices around him became clear enough for him to completely understand. "He is currently suffering from massive blood loss, so he'll be fading in and out of consciousness for a few hours. He is really lucky that there won't be any permanent damage." That must have been the nurse's voice. He could tell because it sounded like the voice had been trained.

When Zane let out a soft groan, the voices above and around him started to become excited.

"He's waking up." "So soon? It's only been an hour." "Who cares? He's alright!" The Zorua slowly opened his eyes more. The blurs started to gain shape. When his eyes finally adjusted to the bright lights, he could finally see where he was. He was in a large, white hospital room that smelled of medicine, disinfectants, and to Zane, _death_. He always _did_ hate hospitals.

He could make out the people standing around him. To his left, there was a Blissey wearing the traditional outfit of a nurse and holding a clipboard, next to her was his Uncle Sawyer, wearing his usual brown and tan flannel shirt and worn down jeans. The Sawsbuck had a relieved look on his face. "It's good to see that you are alright Zane."

The Blissey, apparently named Sarah Morris, according to her name tag, lowered the clipboard in her hand and smiled. "You are quite lucky. If you weren't such the stubborn Zorua that your uncle says you are, you could have bled to death. You also had an extensive amount of lacerations on your head and chest areas that were close to striking vital points on your body. It's thanks to these helpful students over there that you survived." The nurse pointed to his right. When Zane turned his head, he noticed for the first time that there were four people standing there.

The one closest to him was a Vulpix, just by her figure he could tell she was a girl, wearing a white shirt that had a flame pattern on the front. She had beautiful amber colored eyes and she was sporting a big, friendly grin on her face. On her right, there was a male Luxio in a dark blue undershirt with a black, zip-up sweatshirt that had yellow lightning bolt patterns on the sleeves. Beside the Luxio was a Buizel that had his arms crossed and appeared to be scanning over Zane's figure, as if to see if he was gonna be alright. The Buizel was wearing an orange T-Shirt with blue wavy patterns on the front. There was also a Poochyena standing next to the Sea Weasel Pokemon. She was simply wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt that had a full moon on the front with a red claw mark going across it.

Zane nodded a greeting to each of them. They all simply smiled. Zane felt a small grin form on his face. '_These people saved me? I didn't think anyone besides my uncle and Ms. Grace cared about my well-being.' _"Well, I guess I should attend to my other patients." She looked at Sawyer. "Oh, and sir, since you are Zane's current guardian, I'll need you to follow me. There is some paperwork I need you to sign." Sawyer looked at her, then looked at the Zorua with a worried look. Zane couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry about me Uncle Sawyer, I'll be alright." Sawyer gave him a look that said 'I am _not_ convinced that you'll be alright.', but a soft grin from Zane made him shrug the thought off and he slowly followed the Blissey out of the room. Once they left the room, Zane was now alone with the ones who saved him.

He started to feel nervous, their eyes haven't left him and an uncomfortable silence hung in the air. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the Vulpix spoke first. "Weeelllll, as much as I _love_ moments of awkward silence, I think a proper greeting is in order. My name is Nina." She then motioned for the Luxio to introduce himself. "My name is Xander, it's good to know you'll be alright." He stuck out his hand and Zane shook it. The Buizel then stepped forward and stuck his hand out. "I'm Brandon." Zane shook it. "Names Zane." Brandon flashed him a warm smile. He stepped out of the way so that the Poochyena could get closer to greet Zane properly. "And last, but most certainly not least, I'm Maria. It's nice to meet your aquaintence." Zane once again stuck out his hand, expecting Maria to shake it, but instead of shaking his hand, the Poochyena lunged forward and gently wrapped her arms around Zane in a warm embrace.

Zane froze, his mouth opening and closing with silent words and his hand still stuck out. He could feel his face heating up and he was sure his blush could be seen through his dark gray fur. After what felt like an eternity, Maria finally let go and Zane was still stuck in the position he was in before she hugged him. Maria only giggled and patted his head.

She turned her head towards Nina. "I guess its time for me to go. I'll see you later Nina." Nina nodded her head at Maria. "I'll see you tomorrow." Maria walked out of the room with a sway in her hips. Xander stretched his arms. "I guess it would be best for me and Brandon to go too." Brandon also stretched out his arms. "Yeah, that would be best."

The Buizel looked at the Zane, who had finally recovered from the Poochyena's embrace, and smirked. Zane noticed the Buizel looking at him and cocked his head in confusion. Brandon's smirk only grew. Grabbing Xander's shoulder, he led them both out the door and out of the room. Zane and Nina were now the only ones in the room.

The Zorua decided to take the time to examine the bandages wrapped around his body. His entire torso was wrapped up in bandages and there was gauze covering most of the upper part of his head. He also noticed that there were a lot of bruises on his arms. That was when Zane noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt, or pants for that matter! All he had on was the flimsy hospital gown that they give to patients.

All it took was that little revelation and remembering that there was a pretty female Vulpix in the room with him to get Zane to blush so deeply that it could be seen through his fur. A wry chuckle was heard and the embarrassed Zorua whipped his head around and saw that said Vulpix moving towards his bed.

Zane quickly shrunk himself down into the bed, as if hiding underneath the blankets would make the whole situation go away. A small shake of the bed told Zane that Nina had sat on the bed. Pulling his head out from the covers, the Zorua saw that Nina had crawled onto the bed and was currently sitting cross-legged at the end.

When she didn't do anything else, Zane slowly lowered the edge of the bed sheet until it was down to his stomach. Nina only gave a corny smile. "What? Did you think something was gonna happen?" Zane blushed and looked down sheepishly.

"So tell me about yourself." Zane looked back up and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?" Nina's smile only got bigger. "I'm asking you to tell me a little about yourself." Zane still looked at her with a confused expression. "I've never had people ask me that. They usually ask me," the Zorua spoke in a mocking manner, "'Can you really transform into someone else?' or 'Can you make me invisible and help me skip class so that I can peek in the girl's locker room?'"

Nina laughed heartily. "How often is that one asked?" Zane chuckled. "More often than I can keep count. The minute the guys in my classes realize that I can use Illusion, they start to bombard me with requests similar that. Some even have the nerve to try to convince me to transform into one of the girls."

Nina laughed again. "Now that's terrible." Zane laughed too. "No, it gets even better. A few guys even have the gall to ask me to have the Illusion only wearing her _undergarments_!" Both Nina and Zane burst into wild and uncontrollable laughter. They laughed and they laughed until a jolt of pain struck Zane's side and put him into massive agony.

Nina, noticing the Zorua clutching his side with pain etched on his face, quickly got herself under control and quickly crawled over to Zane. Working fast, she grabbed Zane's hands and pulled them away, replacing them with her own hands. Zane gasped at the very hot sensation, but he soon felt the heat from her hands spread across his side, relaxing the muscles and making the pain subside. To Zane, the warmth was very soothing. It was almost_blissful _to him.

The Zorua couldn't stop himself from releasing a loud, contented sigh. They stayed like that for what felt like minutes, none of them even making a sound. Finally, and to the disappointment of Zane, Nina removed her hands from his sides and looked up at him. "How do you feel?" Zane, who had his eyes closed, smiled. "I feel wonderful. I've never felt so relaxed." Nina smiled too. "Thanks for the compliment." Zane looked back down at her. What he didn't realize was that Nina's head was right next to him, so when he looked down, their face were now only inches from each other.

He could see every detail of her deep, bright, and _beautiful_ amber eyes. The Vulpix caught herself gazing into his light blue eyes, which she thought were as clear as a cloudless sky on a sunny day. They both gazed into each others eyes...until they realized what they were doing and Nina quickly scooted from the flustered Zorua, a small blush on her face as well. "S-Sorry Zane." "Its a-alright."

They both sat their, in silence, with their gazes on everything in the room but each other. Zane's gaze landed on the clock on the wall. It read 8:45. "Nina?" The Vulpix looked at Zane. "Visiting hours are almost over." Nina looked at the clock on the wall. Her eyes widened a little. "Wow. Time flies when you're meeting new people." Zane chuckled. "It certainly does." Nina quickly got off of the bed and pulled her on brownish red jacket. "You know, Zane? You never _did_ tell me anything about yourself."

The Zorua looked at her and gave a small grin. "We can talk tomorrow...if you want to?" Nina smirked and walked over to the bed side. "Of course. I would love to visit and talk tomorrow." She reached over and pulled him into an embrace, much the Zorua's shock.

Zane could feel a lot of heat radiating from Nina, since she was a Fire type, and it was making his body feel as warm as his face. After she let go, she walked over to the door and opened it, but paused and turned around to face Zane's direction. The Zorua currently watching her leave, a surprised expression on his face. She chuckled lightly. "Goodnight Zane." The Zorua quickly quickly shook his head to dispel the thoughts in his mind and gave her a warm smile. "Goodnight Nina."

Zane watched the Vulpix walk out the door and close it gently. Letting his mind drift, Zane gently laid his head on the pillow and quickly drifted off to sleep. Nina was quietly walking down the halls, her thoughts on the shy Zorua. Walking out of the hospital's main doors, she allowed one particular thought pass through her head.

_'He sure looks cute when he's all flustered like that. Me and Maria are gonna have a ball with him.' _This thought made her give an evil chuckle.

_**to be continued**_

(Remember to R&R)


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Haven't updated in a while because I've been too busy getting my other stories written. Sorry to those that like this story.**

"speech"

_'thoughts'_

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Pokemon

Nina was casually walking down the sidewalk towards the hospital, a carefree smile on her face and a grocery bag filled with some fresh food. It was morning and she had decided that she would surprise Zane with an early visit and maybe some food that _wasn't _from the hospital.

After walking through the entrance doors, she quickly made her way to Zane's room, which was on the top floor of the 3 story hospital. After a long elevator ride, she made her way down the halls until she was standing outside of Zane's room.

She knocked on the door a few times to announce her arrival, then gently opened it and stepped inside. Without facing Zane, she closed the door and placed the bag on the floor. "Hi, Zane. I decided to visit early so-" She said started to say, but stopped immediately when she turned around. The sight before made her eyes widen.

Zane was still asleep, but he was shaking and it looked like he was panicking. His face was an expression of great pain and fear. He was sweating profusely and his teeth were gritted.

Nina snapped out of her shocked state and quickly ran over to the shaking Zorua. "Zane? Zane!" She watched as Zane grabbed the sides of the bed, his claws exposed and scratching the metal and plastic. He started thrashing around on the bed, ripping out the IV's in his arms.

Nina quickly leaned over the bed and pushed Zane back onto it, struggling to keep him still. "Calm down, Zane! You're gonna hurt yourself!" Zane only started to struggle even more, letting out yells of 'get away from me' and 'leave me alone'. Nina then noticed that a red aura was starting to form around his eyes and what looked like black fire was starting to form on his body. The fire immediately began to cover his body. Even though Nina was touching the fire, it didn't feel hot, or even warm. It was actually quite cold. Though, when it touched the hospital gown and the bandages and stitches on his body where his wounds were, they were immediately burned away, not even leaving behind a pile of ash.

When Zane's wounds were completely exposed, the cold fire began to warm up considerably and gained a tingling sensation. It quickly went from covering his whole body to only covering his now opened and bleeding wounds.

Nina then took her hands off of Zane and backed away. She looked at her hands and shook them. They somehow became numb from the tingling. She then looked at Zane, specifically, his wounds. The wounds were completely covered in that fire and thin streams of steam began to come off of the wounds.

Nina watched, wide eyed and slack jawed, as Zane's wounds actually began to stop bleeding and were starting to close up and disappear, not even leaving behind a scar.

Zane, throughout the entire ordeal, was still thrashing in his sleep, his breathing shaky and gasping. The fire soon started to converge around his mouth after his wounds had healed. It began to swirl and then shot straight into his mouth and down his throat.

Zane coughed and choked a little, but then he went back to panting and gasping. Nina then made her way over to him and started to try to wake him up. "Zane! Wake up!" She placed her hands on him and started to shake him a little. "Dammit Zane! Wake up!"

A bright flash of white made Nina quickly cover her eyes in order to shield them. When her eyes quickly adjusted to the light, looked at the Zorua's face. The white light was forming in his mouth. When he reeled his head back slightly, Nina quickly ducked to her left. A powerful Hyper Beam shot out of his mouth and narrowly hit Nina. The beam struck the wall behind her. Although it didn't destroy the wall, it still charred it.

After a second went by, Zane sat straight up and the Hyper Beam immediately stopped. He looked around frantically, as if trying to spot something. After a few more seconds passed, he let out a shaky sigh.

Nina moved back into a standing position and looked at the Zorua. "Zane?" The Zorua immediately looked towards the direction of the voice and reeled his arm back with a Shadow Claw ready to be used. Nina raised her hands up. "Zane, its me, Nina!"

Zane's claws stopped glowing and he dropped the defensive stance. "Oh! I'm sorry, Nina. I thought you were someone else." He sheepishly looked away and scratched his arm. That was when he noticed something.

"What the...? My wounds! They're healed!" He then stretched out his muscles. "Wow. It's like all the tension in my body just disappeared. I've never felt this relaxed."

Nina just looked on with a confused expression. _'I don't what the hell just happened, but if it healed his wounds and relaxed his muscles, then maybe it was a good thing.' _The thought made her smile a relieved smile.

After they both recovered from the ordeal, and a check up from a nurse who was thoroughly surprised by Zane's quick recovery and getting Zane a new hospital gown, the Zorua and Vulpix went on to discuss more important things.

"So tell me about yourself." The Zorua looked at Nina. "Wha-Oh, yeah. We agreed that I would tell a little about myself when you visited again." Zane sat up a little bit. "What do you wanna know?"

Nina smiled warmly. "Well, what kind of music do you like?" Zane smirked. "Mostly rock, but I do like alternative." Zane then scratched his chin. "I once thought about joining a band, but none at the school will take me. It doesn't mean I'm bad at singing or playing, though. I'm actually a very good guitar player and singer. I guess the other bands probably think that I'm cheating by using my Illusion ability."

Nina's smile grew. "You know, my friends and I have been looking for another member who can sing and play. If you show up at a rehearsal we're having later in the week, you can swing by if you want and show us what you can do." Zane became ecstatic. "Really! Awesome!" After the discussion about music, they went on to learn about other things, like what their fighting style was to their favorite food.

"Really? You prefer fruit over meat?" A confused Nina asked. Zane only shrugged. "Yeah. Is that a problem?" Nina only shook her head. "No, I'm just a little surprised is all." Zane gave a toothy and mischievous grin, exposing all of his sharp teeth. "I may like fruit, but these aren't just for show." Just then, the door opened and a nurse walked in attracting the attention of the Vulpix and Zorua.

She looked up from the chart in her hand to Zane, then back again, a confused expression on her face. "Sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I came to announce that you'll be discharged in a few hours, since your wounds seem to be fully healed." The Blissey then gave Zane a curious look. "What confuses me, though, is that you recovered from injuries that should've taken a week to heal in only 2 days." Zane just smirked. "Guess I'm just a fast healer then." The Blissey only shook her head and left the room, leaving Zane and Nina alone again.

-x-x-x-x-

After about 6 more hours passed, Uncle Sawyer, along with Brandon, Xander, and Maria tagging along, came by to pick Zane up and and sign the papers that are required to discharge him. They all walked out of the entrance of the hospital in a large group. Sawyer stopped the group and looked at Zane.

"Zane, I think it's about time I teach you how to battle properly." The Zorua tilted his head at the Sawsbuck in confusion. "Why? I already know how to fight. They teach us how in school, anyways." Sawyer only shook his head. "Well, _I_ think it's about time I teach you some better fighting tactics and how to control some of your moves. Especially your Hyper Beam." Zane looked down at the ground and started to think.

_'Should I? I mean I'll get to learn some good fighting styles and learn some good moves, but it's gonna be tough.' _A warm hand rested on his shoulder. Zane turned his head and looked at the Vulpix, who gave him a reassuring smile. "If it makes you feel any better, maybe we could train with you?" She looked at Sawyer. "If its alright with you?" Sawyer beamed. "Of course, the more the merrier. Is that alright with you, Zane?"

Zane also smiled. "Okay. I'll train with you Sawyer, as long as I get to train with my friends." Sawyer nodded. Everyone turned and started walking again.

All of a sudden, Sawyer quickly grabbed a fistful of Zane's black sweatshirt, picked him up, and threw him with all his strength across the parking lot. A screaming Zane flew almost 30 yards before he got his bearings and twisted his body in mid-air, causing him to land on his feet and slide across the ground.

After coming to a complete stop, he looked up and glared at Sawyer. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" Sawyer smirked. "Just to let you know that an attack can come at anytime on the battle field."

Nina, along with Xander, Brandon, and Maria, sweatdropped. "Oy vey."

**Author's Note: I got a little writer's block going on. I'll try to make the next chapter better, I promise!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: WOW! It's been MONTHS since I've last updated this story! I am sorry to all of those who have read this story. I've finally gotten over my writer's block (music helps) and I've been cooking up ideas for future scenes. I do realize that the story is going pretty slow, but it's only build up until I can finally start skipping ahead to his high school years, then university.**

"speech"

_'thoughts'_

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Pokemon.

Zane's eyes scanned over the terrain as he began sprinting towards a thick group of trees, his breath coming out in pants and sweat staining the collar of his white sleeveless shirt and his iconic bandana tied around his. His silver canteen was bouncing around and more than once he had to grab it so that it would stop hitting his side.

Unsheathing his red claws, Zane jumped onto a thick tree and began climbing up into the thick cover, his tan combat boots giving him a better boost.

After getting to the top branch and making sure he wouldn't fall, Zane took a moment to catch his breath and take a quick swig of water from his canteen.

Now able to take a breather, Zane began to think over his current situation. _'Okay, I'm about five miles from my house if I haven't gotten lost already. I still have plenty of water, and...' _Zane looked at his watch _'it's only 3:00 PM.'_

The Zorua groaned as his left leg began to hurt. _'Damn. That's definitely gonna be a problem.'_

As he began to lightly massage his leg, Zane continued to contemplate his situation. _'Is this_ endurance _training, or _survival _training? It's only been a couple of days since I got let out of the hospital and already Sawyer is pushing me to my limits. I know he wants me to get stronger and better coordinated, but this is freakin' ridiculous. The only comforting thought is that he is doing the same thing to my friends, but that's not a very nice thought, either.'_

Once he was finished rubbing his leg, Zane's thoughts began to drift over to his new friends. A small smile crept onto his muzzle as he thought over each one of them. _'Xander's pretty nice, a little quiet, but still nice, Brandon seems like the strong silent type, but he carries so much emotion in the rare moment he _does _talk, Maria is...'_ a small blush could be seen through the gray fur on his face _'...a little affectionate, but knows when to stop, and finally, there's Nina.' _His smile came back. _'Outgoing, carefree, open with most of her feelings, she's the perfect friend. How can someone like that want to be friends with a shy Zorua?'_

The sound of bark being scraped and the rustling of leaves signaled the Zorua that someone was climbing up the tree he was on. Using his better sense of balance and scooting towards where the branch met the trunk, he reeled his arm back, a Shadow Claw ready to be used, and prepared for the worse.

The sight of a light black hand that had black claws digging into the bark and the sight of long gray hair gave Zane a sense of relief.

It was only Maria.

But then he began to panic slightly. Whenever he was left alone with her, she kept giving him these mischievous smiles and looks that would make him blush and turn him into a stuttering and sweating wreck.

He dissipated the energy in his hand and began to slide down the branch as the Poochyena finally made her appearance. When she faced the Zorua, she gave a big smile. "Hey Zane! I thought I smelt something familiar when I was walking through here."

Zane only gave a weak smile as Maria crawled onto the same branch he was on and sat beside him, her smile not shrinking the slightest.

Maria reclined against the tree trunk and gave a small sigh, her smile disappearing. "This endurance training is rough. I didn't know your uncle could be so lenient and yet driving at the same time." She shifted her gaze towards the Zorua. "What are we supposed to be doing again?"

Zane shrugged. "I guess we're supposed to get back to the house before sunset." His gaze turned the terrain. They were on one of the highest trees in the forest, so they could see a good distance without anything blocking their view.

Zane stood, reached upward, and pulled himself onto a branch that was parallel and above to the one he was currently on. He then reclined against the trunk and let out a content sigh. Maria watched his actions with a smile of amusement. "You sure that you're a Zorua? You seem more like an Ambipom with the way you climb trees."

Zane let out a small laugh. "Being a Zorua means that I have great nimbleness. You need to be nimble on your feet when you're battling with the use of illusions and the dark." Zane then expressed a worried look. "Man, I sound like some kind of predator when I say it like that."

Maria gave a light chuckle. "A lot of people seem to think that way of us Dark-types. Until I met Nina, Xander, and Brandon, I didn't have a lot of friends because of my type. A lot of admirers, but not any true friends."

Wanting to change the topic to something more cheerful, Maria spoke up. "So, you excited about trying out for our band? Nina said you sing and play guitar." Zane smiled. "Yep, taught myself how to play and have been playing for a few years. Never got a chance to play for a band though. You know, with the abilities to create illusions and what not." The Zorua turned his head looked down at Maria. "What about you? What kind of instrument do you play?"

The Poochyena smiled a little more. "I play bass. Nina and Xander play guitar while Brandon plays the drums. We all practice lyrics for different kinds of music. I usually sing backup while Nina leads, Xander, despite being pretty quiet, has quite the talent to sing hard rock and backup for much louder music, and Brandon's deep voice is good for country."

Zane chuckled. "Wow, somehow that doesn't surprise me." He then looked at the sky and then frowned. "We've been sitting too long. We better get going." Maria nodded and she began her descent towards the ground. Zane soon followed after her.

After dusting themselves off, they began a light jog towards the direction of the house, a map clutched in Zane"s hand.

All of a sudden, Maria slapped Zane on the shoulder and then began sprinting. "YOU'RE IT!" Zane regained his balance and then began sprinting after her with a playful grin. "You are so on!"

Their feet were kicking up dirt as they both jumped over roots and swerved past trees, laughter echoing across the forest. Their breathing became ragged gasps as the running began to take it's toll.

Suddenly, Maria's foot caught an exposed root and she fell forward with a loud yelp. "MARIA!" Zane slid to a stop and quickly rolled the downed Poochyena onto her back.

Zane sighed in relief. Despite a bloody nose, her head wasn't hurt. He quickly began to check her over for injuries. Rolling up her pant leg, he cringed. Her right ankle was swollen and a slight purple color could be seen through her fur. It seemed she had badly twisted it.

Sighing, the fox picked her up and laid her on his back, her head next to his, her arms draped over his shoulders, and his arms were snaked down her sides and his hands were now underneath her, gripping each other in a loose piggyback ride. He blushed lightly because his hands were touching her bottom, but he dispelled the thoughts and began walking, hunched forward so that she wouldn't fall off. Every once and a while, he would hear her mumble something in her unconscious state, but most of it was unintelligible.

It was starting to get late as the sun started to set, it's orange glow casting it's rays across the top of the trees. Zane began panting as he kept up his light jog, being careful not to bounce Maria around too much. It seemed that all of the jostling was all that was needed to wake Maria up from her sleeping state, because when Zane hopped over a couple of rocks, he heard and felt a yawn against his neck.

"Mmm...Zane? ...What's going on?" The said Zorua stopped his jog and turned his head as best as he could so he could see the awakened Poochyena. Her eyes were half-lidded and she was lightly rubbing away the now dried blood on her nose. "And why was my nose bleeding?" "You took a bad fall and knocked yourself out." Zane then took a good look into her eyes. "You don't seem to have a concussion, which is good."

Maria smiled and lightly wrapped her arms around Zane's neck in a hug. "Thank you for helping me Zane." She then leaned over and kissed his cheek, which made Zane's eyes widen and a blush formed on his face. Maria only giggled before resting her head against his neck. "Seriously, though, thank you for helping me. I've never felt more safe than being around you." Zane's blush disappeared, only to be replaced by an small smile. He then began walking again. "Thank you. That's the nicest things anyone has ever said to me." Maria closed her eyes, her smile not diminishing in the slightest. "You're welcome." The Zorua walked the rest of the miles with a lightly dozing Maria on his back and a grin on his face.

After he broke through the foliage, he used the rest of his energy to carry Maria to the house. Her grip tightened when he took one his hands away to open the backdoor. After walking through the kitchen, he made his way to the living room where a worried Brandon and Nina were waiting. When they caught sight of the dirty and exhausted Zorua with an injured Poochyena on his back, they quickly took Maria and carried her to the couch. Brandon quickly left to find Sawyer and Xander while Nina pressed her hands against Maria's ankle.

The Vulpix turned her gaze to Zane. "What happened?" Zane sat down on the couch near Maria's head. "She tripped over an exposed tree root and twisted her ankle. Other than the ankle injury and a bloody nose, she didn't get hurt." Nina nodded, accepting the explanation.

Nina kept shifting her gaze between Maria and Zane. Something didn't seem right. Maria was giving a soft look at Zane and Zane wasn't blushing or getting nervous from the attention. In fact, he was actually returning it.

The Vulpix suddenly stood up. "I gotta go check up on something." She then left and walked into the kitchen. Unknown to the Zorua and Poochyena, there was a knowing smile on Nina's face.

When she left, Zane got up and kneeled by Maria's side. Maria smiled even bigger. "Thank you again Zane. I really appreciate it." Zane smirked and sat down. "Hey, us Dark-types gotta stick together, right?"

He held up a fist to her, which she bumped with her own fist. "Right."

_**to be continued**_


End file.
